Members collect supplies for “Backpacks for Haiti.”
The Church of St. John the Evangelist in Mansfield on May 8 took up a special collection: backpacks filled with supplies for earthquake survivors in Haiti.
“We are a small parish and probably almost everyone gave something for the backpacks,” parishioner Diane Simoni reports by e-mail. “Our doors were open to the community and at least 12 people came in that rainy Saturday bringing completed bags or multiples of various supplies.”
The parish’s Missions Ministry Team took on the project after learning about “Backpacks for Haiti” from the Sisters of St. Margaret’s newsletter.
“We thought to do this because it could be more personal way to help out—buying peanut butter and shampoo for someone who has lost their home in Haiti can feel as if one is filling a more immediate need than sending money to rebuild—and, it was something we could do as a parish and a community, working together, experiencing that fellowship and joy of witnessing others' generosity and care,” Simoni writes.
The parish now has more than 25 backpacks ready to go and more to be filled as more supplies come in. “We would greatly appreciate donations of funds to help with shipping,” Simoni adds (send to: Bristol Cluster Episcopal Ministry, c/o Backpacks for Haiti, 370 Bay Street, Taunton, MA 02780).